


Sing Silver Bells

by lady_mab



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas Caroling, I live for the Professor Monroe trope, M/M, in which the rising never happened and no one died, minor homophobic language, professor!Simon Monroe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2018-02-27 11:02:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2690462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_mab/pseuds/lady_mab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kieren, a 2nd year uni student, brings home Simon (his former literature professor) and Amy (the teacher's aide) for Christmas. Amy wanted to go Christmas caroling, but, well, that doesn't quite pan out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sing Silver Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [In the Flesh Advent Calendar project](http://intheflesh-art.tumblr.com/tagged/advent-calendar)! It was so much fun getting to participate and paired with some amazing artists. A huge thank you to [thebadmoonsrising](http://thebadmoonsrising.tumblr.com/) for your wonderful art and support as I wrote, and thank you to [intheflesh-art](http://intheflesh-art.tumblr.com/) for organizing this. Please like/reblog it from [here](http://intheflesh-art.tumblr.com/post/104392763810/advent-calendar-december-5th). 
> 
> Thank you to Amanda and Maria for betaing! 
> 
> (As a side note, I have written so much stuff for this AU already that you will be seeing more.)

Kieren knew that one was not generally supposed to feel anxious while hanging out with friends, even when they were going Christmas caroling and he generally only sang in the shower when no one was was home. And even if anxiety did strike, it was over something logical (he’s with his new friends from uni; he’s showing them his hometown, boring as it is; they’re caroling in a hospice and ever since he woke up in one after a failed attempt, he never wanted to be in one again).

But sometimes he got struck by “the anxiety bug” and turned “full-on paranoid” at very inopportune times.

So maybe it was a combination of all of the above -- introducing Amy and Simon to Roarton, introducing The Roarton Valley Hospice to Amy’s enthusiastic holiday cheer, being the middle-man for negotiations because he knew Philip and Philip’s mom worked at the hospice. Maybe it was the fear that they would be kicked out if this level of enthusiasm continued (well, Amy’s was through the roof and Simon’s, frankly, was through the floor, while his own enthusiasm was lodged somewhere in his throat, strangling him). Maybe he was just an overly anxious person, and that lead to him having to excuse himself outside for fresh (lung-freezing) air.

As it was, it took far too long for the chill from the snow to cool him down and help him breathe again.

Simon found him ten minutes later, perched on the edge of one of the planters, shivering. “You forgot your coat,” he said, draping it over Kieren’s shoulders.

He hugged it around him, though it did little to immediately relieve the cold. “Is Amy still inside?”

“I think everyone else is enjoying it more now that I’m not in there.” Simon grunted as he dusted snow off of a spot next to him, and dropped down onto the planter as well. This was the source of warmth that he needed, and Kieren scooted closer in an attempt to siphon the vestiges of heat. “You could almost feel the tension ease when I said I was going out for a smoke.” Simon did his best to dig into his pockets without disturbing him.

“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to frown during Christmas time?” He reached for one of the cigarettes as they were pulled free of a jacket pocket, but Simon held them out of the way. “Oh, come off it, this isn’t the first time I’ve nicked one from you.”

“Yes, but Amy would cry if she came out to find me supporting your disgusting habit.” Simon smirked, slipping the cigarette into his mouth and the box back into his pocket. He didn’t say anything for a moment, patting about for a light before Kieren pulled it free from his pants’ pocket. “Ta.”

But before he could take it back, Kieren pulled the cigarette from between his lips, swooped in for a kiss, and then claimed the cigarette for his own. “Ta,” he mimicked.

“I’m going to dock your grade for this,” Simon muttered, pulling out another from the pack.

“Ooh, Professor Monroe, you wouldn’t dare--” The rest of his taunt was cut off as Simon’s free hand moved to tickle his side, and he tried not to choke on smoke and laughter.

They settled into place after a moment, Simon’s arm wrapped around Kieren’s back with his hand tucked into the boy’s pocket to keep it warm, and Kieren’s head tucked against Simon’s shoulder. The only sound was their breathing and the crackling ends of the cigarettes.

“Are you feeling better?” Simon asked into the silence, pulling his hand free from the pocket to tease his fingers through the strawberry blond locks.

“Mm, well, I’ve stopped shaking from cold and anxiety, so that’s a plus.” Kieren gripped the cigarette between his lips and fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. “I forgot how much I hate going into hospitals.”

“You should have said something earlier.”

He wanted to. It had been on the tip of his tongue since the idea to go caroling was even brought up -- back at university, back before he said he was going home to Roarton for the winter hols. “I know, but Amy looked so excited about the idea...” Kieren closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of the tips of Simon’s fingers against the base of his skull. 

“It’s okay to tell her ‘no’ once in awhile.”

“Says the man who spoils her rotten.” Kieren smiled as the fingers pressed harder, gripping onto the curve of his neck and tilting him back for a kiss. “Is this what they mean by playing favorites with your students, Professor Monroe?”

“First off, she’s my teaching assistant, not my student. I can spoil her all I want. Secondly--” He paused to kiss Kieren again. “This is me spoiling a student of mine rotten.” Kieren’s laughter was muffled through the kisses. “Thirdly, it’s winter break. So I’m not your damn professor.”

Any further argument was lost to the joint of their mouths, muffled through a final, drawn out kiss. Kieren dropped his cigarette into the snow in favor of wrapping his arms around Simon’s neck to pull him closer.

And for a moment, he could forget that he was in Roarton, the place where he grew up, and everyone knew him.

“Once a poof, always a poof, eh, Walker?”

He jerked back a bit sharper than he intended, looking up to see Gary Kendal standing on the hospital steps. Kieren allowed himself several seconds to glare as sharply as he could manage before lowering his gaze and looking around for his cigarette (he found it crushed under his boot a moment later). “Shove off, Gaz.”

“Have a little holiday cheer, Kieren. Make the yuletide gay and all that.” Gary laughed and backed up a step as Kieren jolted to his feet.

Only Simon gripping the back of his jacket kept him from advancing the steps he wanted to. “Don’t,” he warned, his voice low. It was the voice he used in the classroom when a student was out of line.

Kieren shrugged off the grip with a sharp tug of his jacket but maintained his distance. “Fuck off, Gary.”

“Aye, I’m going. Just trying to make sure I’m not about to catch whatever it is you’ve got.” He lifted a finger to his forehead in a mock salute and ascended the short flight of stairs.

Amy burst from the hospital doors at the same moment he reached them, very nearly catching Gary in the face with her flourish. She paused a moment at his grumbled swearing, glanced between him and Kieren, then carried on as she had been. “Here you are! I thought you might have gotten lost.”

Gary muttered something that might have very well been lost in each other’s faces but the door swung shut behind him.

Kieren’s breathing calmed the moment her arms curled around his shoulders. The chill of the night cooled his lingering anger, and he leaned into Amy’s embrace. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bail on your caroling event of the season.”

“Ahh, that’s okay. It felt a little silly to sing all by myself after Simon left, so I just ended up chatting with a lot of the people.” She squeezed him tighter before finally releasing him. “So! What next? Shall we wander the streets of Roarton and try to rouse up a bit of holiday spirit?”

“I think you’ve seen all the _holiday spirit_ that we have to offer around here,” Kieren said, giving a meek wave to the surrounding dusk. It was only seven in the evening, but the streets were empty and the blanket of snow swallowed every sound.

Simon ground out his cigarette and pushed himself to his feet. “I think a place with a heater sounds nice. I don’t know how you lot survive this far north. No wonder there aren’t any decorations out.”

“You used to live in Ireland and I _know_ you've lived places further north,” Amy teased, looping her arms around one of his and pulling him along after her.

“Ah, yes, but my time in the States weakened my constitution. I don’t do this Christmas cheer.”

“Yes, I can tell. Your face is making even me sad.” Amy turned and glanced at Kieren over her shoulder. She looked far from sad, but he hadn’t expected anything else. “Isn’t that right, Kieren?”

Shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a few loping steps to catch up, he nudged his shoulder against Amy’s and offered a conspiratorial wink. “Perhaps he just needs more Christmas jumpers. The snowman doesn’t seem to be cutting it.”

“Oh, I don’t know, he looks quite handsome in that shade of blue.” She held Simon out at arm’s length, but couldn’t maintain a show of studying his bright blue jumper, cheerful knit snowman, and altogether displeased frown for very long.

Kieren’s laughter joined hers in the silence of the evening. Simon, for his part, heaved a heavy sigh but endured the teasing.

They walked on for several more steps, Amy with one arm hooked around Simon and one arm around Kieren, before she started humming Christmas carols.

“Don’t think that just because we’re not in front of an audience, I’m suddenly going to start singing,” Simon said.

“No, dum dum! I’m just making up for your two lack of spirit!” She rolled her eyes and hummed louder.

Kieren’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to read the text message. “My mum would like to extend an invitation to the two of you for gingerbread and tea. If, I mean, you don’t have anything better to do,” he hurried to add.

It had been Amy’s idea to come back to Roarton with Kieren once the holidays started. But while they all took the train up together, she and Simon stayed at her late grandmother’s bungalow across town while he went straight home to stay with his family.

He wasn’t entirely too sure how he was supposed to introduce the two of them either. _Yeah, Mum, Dad, I’m doing great at Uni. My best friend is one of my teacher’s aides, and I may or may not be dating my literature professor_. Probably not the easiest of conversations he’s ever had to have -- and he has had some awkward ones.

“The fam!” she gasped, pulling ahead and clapping her hands excitedly. “I want to meet them!”

His phone buzzed again, and when he looked, he stopped in his tracks. “Uh, they also want to invite you over for Christmas dinner. Um--”

“If we want to?” Simon smirked, his glance darting to the side as Amy cheered again. “I think it’s safe to say we both would like to.”

Kieren ducked his head, disappearing into the collar of his jacket as he thumbed out a reply. When he looked up again, Amy had disappeared, swallowed into the white expanse of snow. “Er... Amy?”

“Over here!” Her hand stuck up from the drift and waved about frantically. “I’m making a snow angel!”

“You’re going to freeze and we’ll wind up right back at the hospice!” Kieren trudged through the thin layer of snow on the ground and stood over Amy.

She laughed and sprawled her limbs out across the ground. “Come make angels with me.” She began to spread her arms and legs back and forth, clearing shallow furrows into the snow.

“You look utterly ridiculous and that doesn’t look remotely like an--” A snowball struck the side of his head, and Kieren sputtered in surprise at the sudden explosion of cold. At his feet, Amy squealed as the snow sprinkled down on her upturned face.

Slowly, uncertain of what he would find, Kieren shuffled around with the minimum amount of motion as possible to avoid sending snow down his collar.

Simon stood casual and nonchalant, dusting his hands off of the scant powder before reaching into his pocket for his cigarette pack. When he noticed the attention on him, he lifted his eyebrows in feigned innocence and smiled. “Something the matter?”

“ _Dick_ ,” Kieren said, though this earned him a _that’s not very in the holiday spirit_ from Amy as she smacked his leg. Paying her no attention, he stooped down and gathered up a handful of snow. Years of snowball fights with Rick and Jem aided his hands in quickly forming a compact ball that he promptly hurled across the distance.

It caught Simon squarely in the chest, and he jerked back a step and dropped his cigarette.

“I’ll have you know that I’m the resident champion of snowball fights.” Kieren was already preparing another attack, his huff of laughter exploding from his mouth in a puff of white. “And you might want to run.”

Simon scoffed, though an expression closely resembling fear crossed his face as Kieren wound up for the pitch. He scrambled to form his own retaliation, nearly slipping several times on the frozen ground.

His snowball exploded on the sidewalk by Simon’s feet, and he released a strangled sound of surprise, landing hard on his rear as his feet slid out from beneath him.

Kieren’s crow of victory was cut short as Amy latched onto him from behind, dropping snow from her peacoat like some sort of monster from frozen depths. “Ahh! What are you doing?”

Any response she might have managed was reduced to laughter as she slipped and struggled to maintain her footing. “No no no! I have a better idea!” She gasped and used Kieren to pull herself upright, and pulled him down in the process. “A snowman! We should make a snowman!”

Simon’s next snowball hit her knee and and the shrapnel splattered into Kieren’s face. “No, Kieren Walker has declared war. Never underestimate an only child’s ability to kick ass at snowball fights.”

“Stop!” Kieren waved his hands frantically in the air, keeping his face hidden behind his arms in case of any more attacks. “Truce! Truce, come on! My mom is expecting us over for tea.” He could already feel the snow melting against his body heat. If they waited any longer, he’d be back to shivering.

“Right, tea! With the fam!” Amy was at least gracious enough to help him back to his feet, as she had been the one to pull him down in her haste. Her arms pinwheeled as she did her best to maintain her balance, crossing the distance to Simon in order to help him back to his feet.

“Don’t think that this means the war is over,” Simon warned, shaking a threatening finger in Kieren’s direction as Amy twined her arms around him.

He laughed, nearly lost his balance, and couldn’t stop grinning. “War? Bring it on. It will be a massacre. I will _destroy_ you with snowballs.” His grin widened as he watched Simon attempt to form some sort of clever retort and failed. “They will have to build a snow headstone for you, and a snowman will be erected in my honor in the middle of Roarton.”

“You’re pretty cocky for a kid forced to call time-out.”

“Well, I mean, if you want me to revoke it, we can end it here and now.”

Simon considered this for a moment as he and Amy made their way back to where Kieren stood. “Tomorrow. Don’t think you can get out of this.”

“You’re on.” He wiggled his way in between them for warmth, one arm around Amy and the other around Simon. “Alright then. Let’s try not to fall over. Can you promise me that?”

Amy’s giggles clearly meant _nope_ , and Simon pressed a cold nose against his cheek, which didn’t really mean anything as far as he could tell.

The three of them struck off toward the Walker home, all attempting to take different paces -- hips colliding and feet slipping one way or another. But Kieren couldn’t have been more content than between the two of them. 

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  Again, super huge thanks to [thebadmoonsrising](http://thebadmoonsrising.tumblr.com/)


End file.
